This invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from a recording head.
Conventional ink-jet recording apparatus are known to include a sub-tank provided in a recording head that stores ink to be ejected onto a recording medium, and a main tank which stores ink to refill the sub-tank. Among the ink-jet recording apparatus having such an ink supply system, there is an apparatus which connects the main tank to the sub-tank only when an ink supply to the sub-tank is necessary (i.e., an apparatus having a so-called stationary supply system). The ink-jet recording apparatus having the stationary supply system includes in the sub-tank with an ink supply opening for receiving the ink to be supplied. A supply nozzle for supplying the ink in the main tank is inserted to the ink supply opening so that the ink can be supplied from the main tank to the sub-tank. In order to allow such an ink supply system, a resilient member (such as rubber) that prevents ink leakage is used in the ink supply opening.
On the other hand, the recent mainstream ink-jet recording apparatus perform color recording. An image is recorded by a plurality of colors (such as CMYK) of ink ejected from a recording head. In such ink-jet recording apparatus, the recording head includes a plurality of sub-tanks that store different colors of ink. Each sub-tank is provided with the aforementioned ink supply opening. In these ink-jet recording apparatus, a plurality of ink supply openings as a whole are arranged in line on the same level.